Bird Sightings

Seen an interesting bird? Then let us know by submitting a record on our on-line database. It is easy to do but if you need some instructions take a look at the Submit Sightings Page. To view the latest sightings just click on the menu item for Latest Sightings.

Some birds are not uncommon in other parts of the country or around our coasts, but may be in Buckinghamshire. If you want to see just how scarce a particular species is then take a look at the Bucks List.

Kentish Plover - A County 2nd!

Following the twitch on bank holiday Monday, for local birders to see a Kentish Plover, it was found that it had in fact been seen and photographed the previous day by Andy Radford. Unfortunately Andy was not sure about the ID and thought it might have been a juvenile Ringed Plover, so he did not report it. It was only after the news broke the following day did he realise that he had seen a Kentish Plover!

Kentish Plover – Andy Radford – 30th April.

So the following day, on the 1st May, Dave Bilcock, a keen local birder visited the site and came across the Plover. Dave was completely unaware of the previous days sighting, so was extremely surprised to see a possible Kentish Plover in front of him! Due to the distance to the bird, the ID was not easy. By 8am Dave had put the word out and birders soon began to arrive. There was a lot of interest from both Bucks and Herts birders to get a county tick (the county boundary cuts through the site). The bird could easily be overlooked on the flat expanses of the quarry, as many of the visiting birders can testify to! Before the bird flew of south at 11:35 am, perhaps one hundred birders had seen the bird in Bucks, or Herts, or both.

It was interesting to hear the chatter between the birders of whether the bird was in Bucks or Herts and where exactly the border was! Fortunately the bird was very obliging and spent time in both counties.

The bird, a female, was actually missing it’s right foot, so will be easily recognisable if it turns up elsewhere.

Photos above and immediately below Copyright Dave Bilcock

Above photo copyright Ian Bennell

Above photo Copyright Paul Wright

Kentish Plover in flight – Copyright Ian Williams

There has only been one prior record for Kentish Plover in the county, that being in 1981 when one was seen at Willen Lake on 13th April.